Purim

Dr. Nosson Chayim Leff

Sfas Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Purim, 5631

The Sfas Emes on Purim is extraordinarily rich. He has bequeathed us
page after page of new, mind-stretching ideas. So be aware that what I
offer here is like a drop of water from the ocean or a grain of sand
from the beach. The implication is: much joy awaits you if you take
the plunge, buy yourself a set of the Sfas Emes, and learn some of the
text yourself (or with a chavrusa) each week.

Let us work with the third paragraph of the Sfas Emes's ma'amar for
Purim in his first year as Rebbe, 5631. The text there begins:
"U'mitzvas mishlo'ach manos ..." ("The mitzvah of sending presents to
one another ... ") The Sfas Emes immediately appends his comment:
"Nir'eh lavo le'ahavas Yisroel" ("Apparently, the objective of this
mitzva is to get us to a state of Ahavas Yisroel" [love of our
co-religionists]).

Note what the Sfas Emes has just done. His comment on mishlo'ach
manos has, in effect, inverted the conventional view of how this
mitzva operates. The standard approach sees mishlo'ach manos as an
expression of our deeply founded, pre-existent love of our fellow
Jews. By contrast, the Sfas Emes has just told us -- without making a
big splash about it -- that in reality, first comes the gift giving;
and only later, the love, The Sfas Emes is apparently working here
with an idea similar to Sefer HaChinuch's maxim: "Ahdam nif'al lefi
pe'ulosov." ("A person becomes what he does.") In the present
context, this idea tells us that the purpose of mishlo'ach manos is to
get us to a state in which we love our fellow Jews.

The implication is clear. The Sfas Emes takes it for granted that many
of us may start from a state in which we do not love our fellow
Jews. But he does not stop there. The Sfas Emes goes on to tell us
that although we may begin from that state, we should not remain
there. And he views mishlo' ach manos as an instrument to get us from
our initial negative or indifferent state to one of true ahavas
Yisroel.

The ma'amar moves on now to a new perspective on ahavas Yisroel. The
Megilla's first mention of Mordechai refers to him (Esther, 2:5) as
"Ish Yehudi ..." i.e., "a Jewish person." However, in non-pshat mode,
Medrash Rabba reads these words as "Ish yechidi" i.e., "a single
person." What does this mean? Is the Medrash telling us that
Mordechai was an "isolated person"? A social misfit? Chas veshalom!
Read on.

The commentaries on that Medrash explain that Mordechai was called
'yechidi' because he proclaimed HaShem's unity (yichud). How did he
do this? By refusing to bow before Haman's idol. But in what amounts
to a Medrash on the Medrash, the Sfas Emes reads "Ish yechidi" very
differently. The Sfas Emes reads "Ish yechidi " as telling us that
Mordechai unified -- i.e. brought together -- the Jewish people.

Why was it important to bring Klal Yisroel (the Jewish people)
together? Because in a state of unity, we were able to fulfill the
mitzva (Vayikra, 19: 18) of "Ve'ahavta lerei'echa kamocha." (R. Aryeh
Kaplan: "Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.") Chazal
tell us that this mitzva is a " klal gadol baTorah ("a major principle
of Yiddishkeit") By any standard, enabling people to rise above their
innate egoism is a major achievement. Hence, the question arises: How
did Mordechai do it?

The Sfas Emes answers by citing what may sound like a far-fetched
chassidische commentary on the posuk "Ve'ahavta lerei'acha kamocha."
That commentary explains: "Rei'acha -- zeh Hakadosh Baruch Hu." That
is, when the Torah tells us: "Love your neighbor as you love
yourself," the Torah is really telling us: love HaShem -- who is our
true rei'ah ('friend'; 'neighbor') -- as we love ourselves.

You may be wondering: who is the "far-fetched chassidische"
commentator quoted above? The answer may come as a surprise:
Rashi. He offers this explanation in Gemora Shabbos (31a). In support
of this explanation, Rashi cites a posuk (Mishlei, 27:10) which refers
to HaShem as our "rei'a". To maintain credibility, I quote the posuk:
"Rei'acha verei'ah avicha ahl ta'azov". (Artscroll: "Do not forsake
your friend and the friend of your father.")

The Sfas Emes proceeds to explain HOW ahavas HaShem can lead to ahavas
Yisroel. If we all cling tightly to the inner core of our existence --
to HaShem -- we are all connected to each other. Then, in fact, all
of Bnei Yisroel are one. And, recognizing that joint inner connection,
we can treat each other -- in reality, ourselves -- with love. Thus,
in principle, we can reach Ahavas Yisroel by starting with Ahavas
HaShem.

Continuing in this vein, the Sfas Emes refers us to the posuk (Esther,
8:11) which says: "nikhalu ve'amod ahl nafsham". That is, Bnei
Yisroel "came together and defended themselves." The Sfas Emes points
out that in the Hebrew text, the word translated here as "themselves"
is given in the singular. Thus, translated literally, the pasuk says:
"they defended their 'nefesh'". As you see, the word 'nefesh' is in
the singular. But from the context, we know that the text is speaking
about a multitude. Why does the text not use the plural?

To answer, the Sfas Emes refers us to Rashi on Bereishis, 46:26. That
posuk speaks of the Bnei Yisroel who went to Mitzrayim. There, too,
the Torah is speaking of many people but, nevertheless, employs the
singular word "nefesh." Rashi there notes the contrast with the
family of Esav Harasha, of whom the Torah (Bereishis, 36, 6) speaks in
the plural, "nafshos beiso." Rashi explains that Bnei Yisroel is
referred to in the singular because they all served the one
HaShem. Thus, in that case, too, many people holding tightly to the
same HaShem became, in effect, one. Hence, the posuk can -- and does
in fact -- refer to them in the singular.

(Why do the Torah -- and Rashi -- have to tell us that all Bnei
Yisroel served the same HaShem? Perhaps because an uninformed observer
could easily misperceive the situation. That is, seeing the
individual tribes -- each with its own headgear and garb; with its own
way of pronouncing Hebrew words; its own poskim; and its minhagim
(customs) -- a person would have the impression that, in fact, they
were serving different deities. For this reason, we have to be told
that, notwithstanding superficial impressions, we are in fact one
people.)

Finally, the Sfas Emes cites his grandfather, the Chiddushei HaRim,
who noted an important fact. Our coming together -- initially for
self-defense and ultimately, with mishlo'ach manos -- generated ahavas
Yisroel and achdus (unity ). This achdus, in turn, had a further
beneficial effect. Unity enabled us to receive the Torah again, in
Esther's time, as we had received it at Har Sinai -- "ke'ish echad
belev echad." (As one person with one heart.") Receiving the Torah in
that manner was no small thing. Awareness of that 'side effect' of
Purim should increase our joy. In fact, Purim is the happiest day in
the year.